Australia can be a global leader in a renewable economy but we need the government to commit to real action.

We have had ten years of inaction on climate change. It’s time to take real steps towards change through strong, effective policies. The impacts of climate change hurt our economy, our farmers, our health and our environment. We need concrete climate policies that protect local trade, agriculture and industry from the effects of a changing climate.

We must have a unified, government-backed body that will fund and support renewable energy infrastructure. We must reinstate funding to the CSIRO and we need accountability and action on drought measures, rural water theft, and natural disaster responses.

I will:

• Support and advocate for the Climate Change Act proposed by independents Zali Steggall and Dr Helen Haines.
• Support the Local Power Plan and Local Power Agency that backs community energy initiatives.
• Push for a process to bring about action and accountability on drought measures, rural water theft, and natural disaster responses.
• Work to ensure the current body that funds and supports renewable energy infrastructure, environmental solutions and reduced carbon emissions (ARENA) stays focused on that task, and is not shifted to fossil fuel projects and policies.
• Actively engage with the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Energy to ensure sound, evidence-based engagement with scientists and policy-makers – with our short and long term climate futures top of mind.
• Support the reinstatement of CSIRO funding following the deep, recurrent cuts to funding that have occurred since 2014.

Every Australian deserves a parliament that is held to account for the decisions it makes.

For years there have been calls to establish an independent federal integrity commission and still there is no action from the government. This cannot continue. You can’t have good policies and good politics without accountability. An independent integrity commission is essential for holding our political representatives and public services to account, and giving Australians the honest, transparent and functional political system we all deserve.

I will:

• Support the current Australian Federal Integrity Commission (AFIC) Bill developed and proposed by Independent Dr Helen Haines.
• Work to ensure a Federal Integrity Commission is established in a timely and thorough manner.
• Insist that a public timeline and benchmarks are set and agreed to by key decision makers so that the commission has a meaningful and permanent impact.
• Call out misspending and misappropriation of funds in politics.

My career has focused on lifting people up and helping them achieve their full potential. I want our nation’s economic and social policies to do the same.

Right now we are a nation divided by non-inclusive language and an ‘us and them’ mentality. We have a way to go to build inclusion. We must re-establish Australia as a nation of kindness and humanity. A key first step is supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Australia’s welfare system falls well short of what’s needed to protect and support our most vulnerable and marginalised community members. It’s time to bring it into line with the modern economy and cost of living.

I want to see the Federal Parliament uphold ‘The 7 Pillars of Inclusion’, a framework which addresses inclusion and diversity. It’s an approach I pride myself on following, and one that I believe should inform the decisions of every Federal parliamentarian.

I will:

• Support the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
• Support the call for an overhaul of Centrelink payments and ensure a sound and fair NDIS system so that thousands of Australians are no longer forced to live below the poverty line.
• Routinely meet with interest groups, leaders and organisations to understand their challenges and facilitate a stronger voice for them, and with them, in Parliament.
• Demonstrate how the 7 Pillars of Inclusion can guide better decisions in Parliament.

I have been a regional leader for decades and I know how important it is for communities to be able to respond to, and bounce forward from, crises like fires, floods and climate impacts. I also know that the best way to build resilience is to do it together, caring for each other.

In business we prepare long term plans that consider the many challenges that may lie ahead. So where is our national vision? Where is our nation’s shared sense of direction and hope? 

If we are to recover from the impact of natural disasters, pandemics and climate change, we must demand a stop to short-term political thinking. The only way forward is to learn from what has happened and build resilience across the nation and across all walks of life.

I’m pushing for real plans for the future with a long-term national policy vision that secures a brighter outcome for future generations.

For over a decade I have worked with communities heavily impacted by fire, helping them plan for recovery and for the future.  I have helped their leaders build the skills required to keep leading and supporting each other.  Recently, I have worked with communities of the Upper Murray to develop their own Community Emergency Management Plans.  I have heard what communities need to recover and prepare for disaster.  It’s time government listened and delivered. 

I will:

• Push for further investment in community and business leadership to build resilience for future shocks, including climate change impacts.
• Work towards positive solutions on climate change, COVID-19, natural disasters and water sharing.